>>Housing?



I keep my rats in sterilite tubs (66 qt. or 32 qt.) with wire tops, either wood frames or the plastic tops with the center cut out. Since I built them, there has been a lot of discussion about chewing, especially on inside corners. If I was starting now, I would probablly use cement mixing tubs. They are priced about the same, appear to be much more durrable, and give you more square inches of floor space. Many people use cat litter pans for mice.



For the wood frame tops (chew proof), cut two pieces of 1X2 the length of the middle of the tub, two pieces of 1X2 the width of the middle of the tub plus 1 1/2" ( twice the width of the wood). Nail or screw them together. Staple on 1/2" hardware cloth for rats or 1/4" hardware cloth for mice.



>>Feeding?



Many people feed dog food that does NOT have red dye. Others feed rodent chow. Some supplement with grains, vegies, bread, etc. Some don't. Mostly we all do what works for us. I feed rodent chow unless I run out then I feed the cheapest NON red dye dog food I find. The cheaper they are the more cereal grains they have in them.



>>Watering?



The easiest way to start is to use water bottles from the pet store. If you want you can use an automatic water from www.agselect.com, www.bassequipment.com or search the web for Edstrom. Its more expensive to go auto for small set ups but cheaper for large setups. Don't bother with water bowls. They are a mess, get spilled and polluted.



>>How much space does it take?



1.3 rats can be kept in 24"X18" tub. Most of us keep the tubs stacked or racked. Since I vary between 3 and six tubs, I just stack them on top of each other. You can put 2X4s between them for ventilation or offset them 1/4 the length of the tub.



>>Hints on making it work and work well?



Good healthy stock is the most important thing. Clear eyes, clean nose, no signs of diarrhea, no open wounds, good shape. Rodents should be active and curious, but they do nap alot so this can be hard to tell at any given time. Once you establish a colony, don't bring in any outside animals. They are just sources of disease. If you have to bring in new stock, quarantine them for about ten years or so. Sadly, nothing wipes out colonies faster than outside disease. If an animal gets sick, cull it. Do not wait till the illness spreads. You are responsible for the health of the colony, not just one animal. Cleanliness, good feed available all the time, clean water at all times, ventilation are the basics. I keep mine on alfalfa/oat hay pellets (for horses). Many people keep theirs on wood shavings ( pine or aspen not cedar), rabbit pellets (alfalfa), paper pulp products (carefresh etc.)



>>What are the differences between rats and mice that make them better or worse for breeding ?

>>The Size issue?



Mice smell more than rats.

Mice bite more than rats.

Mice eat their babies more than rats.

I would only breed mice if I needed something smaller than a rat pink, which I don't.



I think I've figured out how to post the link to pics of my set up in the photo gallery. If the link doesn't work, go to home, username, DeMak.



Aside from that, I don't have any opinions, LOL.



DeMak
My Pics

[ Show Entire Thread ]